Mia Love RNC Performance Could Make Her the First Black Republican Woman in Congress

Have you heard of Mia Love? You will. Do you know Mia Love? Well you should. She is running for Congress and, if elected, she will be the first black female Republican in Congress. 

Her background is "different." She is Haitian. She was born in Brooklyn. She was raised in Connecticut. She lives in Utah. She is a Mormon. She was the first black woman elected mayor of a town in the state of Utah. She gave a great speech at the RNC this week. She is an example of the progress Republicans are making in attracting young, female, minorities. She undoubtedly appeals to each of those demographics.

If she wins, she will be the first black female Republican ever elected to Congress, something that is important to her because the issue of her race has been a subject of much discussion over the years. She says ultimately she was elected mayor because the people have moved past such things.

“…People care more about what happens in their lives, what happens in their back pockets, than they care about the color of someone’s skin,” she said.

Love says that if she wins this year, she will join the Congressional Black Caucus. She promises to inject new life to the CBC. “I would join the Congressional Black Caucus and try to take that thing apart from the inside out.”

Love is a gun-toting Tea Party conservative who believes in creating jobs through growth, fully funding the military and smaller government. She wants congress to give the people back their power and restore their decision-making capabilities.

Entering to the music of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” Love rocked the audience at the Republican National Convention in Tampa on Tuesday night. She denounced President Obama’s plan for the nation and earned favor among her peers … and quite a few voters. Love’s rousing speech at the RNC has helped to gain new followers and to raise much needed donations. She has reportedly raised $100,000 in small donations since the Tuesday speech

In her speech she touched on themes of liberty, self-reliance, and personal responsibility. In discussing her parents, she told the story of her father speaking to her about college. “Mia, your mother and I have done everything to get you to where you are right now. We have never taken a hand out. We have worked hard for everything we have through personal responsibility. You will not be a burden to society. You will give back.”  

On personal responsibility she said, “It is not government’s responsibility to save our country. It’s up to us to save our country”. She invoked feelings of American pride, American exceptionalism and love for the American Dream when she said, “It is in every child who looks at the seemingly impossible and says, "I can do that." “This is our story. This is the America we know because we built it!”

Love is fighting an uphill battle in her run for Congress. But I wouldn’t count her out. Her story of hard work is inspiring and she has bucked the odds throughout her political career. Love’s voice would be welcomed into the national dialogue. We need her voice in Washington, and she would bring a much-needed different perspective to the debate on America’s future.